Phaedrus, it seems, had high expectations for children's literary understanding. Or maybe, as A.A. Milne does in his Winnie the Pooh stories, he wanted to throw in a little something for the benefit of the adults who do the actual reading.
Caesar as Storyteller
Julius Caesar as Storyteller? Well, yes. We remember Caesar as many things: general, tyrant, reformer of the calendar and, yes, author. But how often do we give him credit for his virtuosity in spinning yarns?
What’s New? Podcasts . . .
Podcasts allow you to listen to the written word even when your eyes aren't free to look at the parchment, and even when the narrator isn't present. Just imagine what Cicero or Vergil could have done with podcasts.
In Praise of Old Books
And if holding a century-old book in your hand can give a sense of a tangible connection to its readers over the past hundred years, what about reading the same words that have fired the imaginations of countless readers over the past hundred generations?